Through the Well and Back Again
by PrisonerPadfoot
Summary: A look at Inuyasha characters from both sides of the bone eater's well. A series of unconnected drabbles and one-shots occurring at various points before, in, and after the manga timeline. NEWEST: Souta teaches Inuyasha a new game.
1. Close Your Mouth, Open Your Eyes

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from iy_themes' Close Prompt.**

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Kagome and Inuyasha were the only ones still standing. Miroku, Sango and Kirara all lay injured with Shippo keeping watch over them. Inuyasha released his Wind Scar, but Naraku's latest youkai puppet ducked beneath it, circling around Inuyasha and heading straight for Kagome. Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver and strung her bow, hoping her aim would be true. She was about to let the arrow fly when the youkai gave a cry of pain and fell dead at her feet, cut clean in half at the waist. Kagome looked up to see Sesshoumaru standing behind the dead youkai, sheathing Tokijin.

"Whaddya think you're doing, you jerk?" Inuyasha growled, rushing over to stand beside Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped, "He saved me from the youkai!"

"Keh! He doesn't give a crap about you, Kagome. He just couldn't let me have the kill!" Inuyasha yelled. He got into a defensive posture, holding Tetsusaiga out in front of him.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed. "Inuyasha, your sword technique is atrocious. If left up to you, your wench would surely be dead," he said.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha roared, taking an intimidating step forward.

"I suggest you close your mouth and open your ears to criticism, Little Brother." Sesshoumaru advised.

"Why, you son of a--" Inuyasha began, but his words turned into inaudible mumbles. Kagome looked around to find Miroku standing behind Inuyasha, leaning heavily on his staff for support. There was now one of the monk's sutras on Inuyasha's mouth.

"We do not need any more battles today," the monk said wisely, earning a smile from Kagome. Inuyasha glared at him, trying unsuccessfully to pull the sutra off his mouth.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru," Kagome said earnestly.

"Hnn," the taiyoukai grumbled, heading back toward the forest from which he came.


	2. The World Over

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from iyfic_contests' Independence Prompt.**

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She had seen the world over. She had blown through all of Japan, seen the top of every mountain and the bottom of each valley. When she tired of her homeland, she moved onward and across the sea. Over time, no country was strange to her. She conquered East, West, North, and South.

Every person in the world knew her, and she held countless different names. _Ruzgar, krivudati, gaoth, upepo_. She could be loved, but also hated and feared. In a moment of anger, she could destroy entire villages and take lives as easily as any warrior's blade. Everything in nature bent to her will. Trees snapped with the force of her wrath, and she was the only thing the mighty ocean would ever part for.

There was a time when she had been no more than a puppet, a caged animal longing for independence, for her freedom. She had spent nights chained to the walls of her master's house. Though she had loved, her heart had not been hers to give. Her heart, and in turn her very soul, had been in her master's palm. It was his to squeeze each time she disobeyed. Her life had truly been in his hands.

Though her soul did not reside in her body, her spirit was never broken. She defied her hanyou master until he opened her chest and made her whole. He had made sure the price of freedom was a terrible one, and soul was reunited with body only briefly. Even compassion from the coldest of hearts could not save her. In death she smiled, and only in death was she truly free. She ran gently through silver hair, now the only way she could show she cared.

None were freer to roam than she. She was the spirit of the wind, and no cruel master's chains could bind her.


	3. Once a Taijiya, Always a Taijiya

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from mirsanfics' Lie Prompt.**

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It had been nearly five years since she had felt the huge weight of Hiraikotsu slung over her back. At first it felt good to be wielding the enormous boomerang again, almost like being reunited with a lost friend, but as the battle commenced things went decidedly downhill. She damned herself for her sloppy throws, which amounted to an inexcusable amount of near misses. So far she had done no damage to the youkai, while Inuyasha and her husband expertly sliced and stabbed their way through the thing's tough hide.

She didn't know why she had insisted on coming with them this time, when for five years she had been content to simply sit at home and tend to her children. She had helped Miroku dress that morning, listening to him while he talked of how he and Inuyasha would be doing some demon slaying later in the day. In the middle of his talk she caught a glimpse of Hiraikotsu, sitting forgotten and dusty in the corner of their hut. The suggestion popped out of her mouth just as quickly as it entered her brain.

"Why don't I come along with you this time?" she asked, and Miroku's eyes brightened.

"Dearest Sango," Miroku said, his hand wrapping around her and falling upon a spot she would have slapped him for touching had they not been married, "Of course you may join us if you wish."

And so she had left their three children with Kagome and Kaede while she trekked with the monk and hanyou to the nearby village with youkai troubles. As soon as the battle started, she knew it had been a mistake to join them. After five years of disuse, her skills were not what they used to be. Her aim was sub-par, her strength diminished, her movements not nearly as swift as they had once been. She was ashamed at how much effort it took to swing Hiraikotsu around. She was doing Inuyasha and her husband more harm than good, and she struggled to keep her concentration on the battle and not on musings of her own inadequacy.

As she caught Hiraikotsu on its rebound, the youkai turned it's ugly head toward her. Inuyasha began to yell an array of profanities to distract it from her, while Miroku swung his staff and connected with the youkai's back leg. Tetsusaiga came down on its tail in a spurt of blood, but the youkai kept its eye trained on Sango. She let Hiraikotsu fly, but the weapon whipped past the thing's head without dealing any damage. The youkai's massive hand lashed out at her, his claws searching for purchase on her body. She dived out of the way but his claws caught her in the side, ripping through her armor and deeply slicing her flesh. Miroku called her name, but she was too focused on the blood slowly spreading out from beneath her to hear him. It was only when he fell to his knees beside her that his words reached her ears.

"Sango, are you all right?" he asked. He ripped off a piece of his robe and began to tie it around her to slow the bleeding.

"I'm no taijiya, Miroku. Not anymore," she said sadly.

"You can't mean that, Sango," he said, his eyes wide.

"I'm not helping you at all. Maybe I can't do this sort of thing anymore. I've lost whatever skills I once had," she said, and was startled as Hiraikotsu landed behind her with a heavy thud.

"That's a lie, Sango. You will always be a taijiya."

Sango gasped and Miroku turned around to find the youkai's jaws headed straight for him, teeth gnashing and anxious to behead the monk that attacked him. Sango could see Inuyasha running along the youkai's spine, but he could never reach the head in time to help Miroku. The monk reached for his staff, but by the time he got into position to defend himself---

Sango didn't want to think about her husband's head rolling across the ground, or her children's faces when she told them their father was dead. She reached back and grabbed Hiraikotsu, bringing it around and letting it fly from her hand in a deadly spin. Hiraikotsu severed the top the youkai's head, destroying his jaw and splattering Miroku and Sango in blood and chunks of torn flesh and brain. The youkai's body collapsed to the ground, its legs crumpling beneath its body. When Hiraikotsu circled back around, Sango reached up and it caught it, abruptly letting it fall back into the dirt.

Inuyasha landed softly beside his friends and sheathed Tetsusaiga. "Keh," he grumbled, turning away from them, "I coulda done that."

Miroku and Sango paid him no mind. Miroku took Sango's hands in his and smiled knowingly down at her. She now realized that though her agility and strength may wane with time, the protective instinct and fighting spirit she had trained as a child would never be lost. No matter how many years she stayed out of battle, she would be a taijiya until her dying day.


	4. Where Time Is Broken

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from iyissekiwa's Smell Prompt.**

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Ginger and honey. Roses and strange perfume from a different world. The scents hit his nose and he ran, leaving the taijiya, monk, kitsune, and old miko to stare confusedly at his blurred form.

He ran to the place where time was broken, where worlds collided and reunited the future with its forgotten past. He extended his hand into the darkness, reaching through time to catch the hand of the girl he loved. He pulled her upwards, across worlds, and into his arms. She fit perfectly there, even with her overstuffed pack hanging over her shoulders.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, not sure of what else to say.

He released her and folded his hands into his voluminous sleeves. He looked away, and Kagome was almost certain that his cheeks were tinged to match his clothes.

"Took you long enough," he mumbled, and Kagome smiled.

They walked back to the old miko's hut in silence. He would never tell her how happy he was to pull her back into his life, but he didn't need to. His hand cutting through the shadows each time she returned, guiding her over the lip of the well and into his life said more than words ever could.


	5. Faces of the Dead

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from iy_theme's Sin theme.**

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In his nightmares his friends were dead, and the worst of it was that all of their faces were blank slates. He couldn't remember what they looked like, not even the girl he had taken as his wife, the woman who had given him a child that he had since outlived. Some nights he would see his son in his dreams, just as faceless and dead as Kagome.

It was true they were all long dead, but it was a sin that he should forget the faces of those he had loved. Sometimes he damned his demon blood for letting him live so long.

There were only two people that understood Inuyasha's pain. The kitsune brat wasn't a brat anymore, but full grown youkai who had turned silent and thoughtful as he watched his human friends pass on. Sometimes Inuyasha barely recognized him for the bubbly little Shippo he had known long ago.

Sesshoumaru remained silent as ever, but Inuyasha took comfort in his brother's presence. Over the centuries their harmless bickering had morphed into a quiet tolerance. Sesshoumaru's vassal was still at his side, but the little girl he had once saved from death had long since grown old and gone to her grave.

They traveled together, and in each other's presence remembered those they had lost. They honored the dead by living, keeping the memories alive with them.

Slowly, with the help of his brother and kitsune friend, Inuyasha would remember the faces of the dead.


	6. In the Mist

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #43, Bang.**

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_I have no idea where I'm going. _

The forest was shrouded in an unnaturally think mist, and Kagome could barely see a few feet in front of her. She had been separated from her friends, and after a few minutes of wandering, had no choice but to admit that she was lost.

She panicked. Her heart raced and every shadow hid a dangerous youkai. She whimpered and took a cautious step backwards, screaming when her head banged into something sharp. A pinprick of blood fell down her neck as she turned to see what she had run into.

"Sesshoumaru?"

The tall youkai stood there with her blood on the tip of one of his armored spikes. He cast a cold glance down at her and turned to walk back the opposite way.

"Wait! Can you help me get out of here?" she called and ran after him.

He said nothing, and made no objection to her trailing along behind him. She stayed close to him, even grabbing onto his sleeve when she heard something rustling in the trees. She could not say why, but even though Sesshoumaru had once tried to kill her and her beloved hanyou, she trusted him.


	7. Thoughts On A Demon

**All of the chapters in this story will be entries from various contests around LJ. This one is from iyfic_contest's Favorite Character Theme.**

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_How could someone like him have possibly cared for someone like her? It just seems so…wrong. If I hadn't seen them traveling together myself, I would have never believed it. Perhaps there's more to him than he lets everyone see,_ Kagome thought, looking at the little girl that was helping her weed her garden.

_But there's one thing I know for sure. She really does care about him. The way her eyes light up every time he visits her…I'm not sure I'll ever really understand how he came to be so important to her. He belittles humans every chance he gets, and yet he's like a father to a human girl. How does that make sense?_

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Whenever Master Inuyasha talks about him, he always looks so angry. His face gets all red and he growls a lot. I really wish they wouldn't fight. They are family_, Rin thought, glancing over at Kagome's husband.

_At least they don't try to kill each other anymore. Rin is glad about that. Rin is also glad that her Lord has not forgotten her. He visits me so often, even when he's probably busy with so many other things. The kimono he brought me today was so pretty!_

_Living with Lady Kaede is nice, but it's not as fun as traveling with my Lord, Ah-Un and Master Jaken was._

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What an asshole. Lousy idiot jerk. I'll never forgive that moron for some of the things he did to me. I can't believe I'm related to him. But I gotta admit, he's one tough guy to understand. His expression's always so blank I can never figure out what he's thinking. Or if he even is thinking,_ Inuyasha laughed and earned a strange look from Kagome. The hanyou didn't seem to notice.

_He tried to kill me…and Kagome…and pretty much all of us. So why the hell do I respect him after all that? Wait. Did I just admit to respecting him? Damn. I don't respect him, how could anyone respect that jerk? He doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself. Or Rin. Keh, why am I even wasting my time trying to figure him out?_

_Damn Sesshoumaru. _


	8. Fish Tale

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for Dokuga's Weekly Perfection #44, Clear.  
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Kagome peered down the embankment and into the water below. The water was extremely clear, and even from high above she could see the dark forms of fish swimming in the shallow creek. She found the babble of the flowing water to be quite soothing and she took the opportunity to sit against a tree and relax.

She started to drift off to sleep, but her eyes sprang open when she heard the hearty laughs of a child. She followed the sound downstream, and when she caught sight of its source she hid herself behind a copse of ferns. She peeked through the fronds and at the three figures below.

Sesshoumaru stood on a rock that jutted from the center of the creek, while Rin was knee-deep in the water beside him. Sesshoumaru's faithful vassal stood on the banks, quietly watching them.

Moving so swiftly that he was no more than a blur of white and red, Sesshoumaru crouched down and sliced his hand through the water. He stood up with a large fish impaled on his claws. The fish's tail flapped wildly and splattered water onto Rin and Jaken. Rin clapped for her Lord's catch, while Jaken wiped his face on his sleeves.

With a flick of his wrist, Sesshoumaru dropped the fish into Rin's hands. The fish looked enormous in the arms of such a small child, and she could barely keep a hold on it as it wriggled around. Kagome smiled as Rin simultaneously struggled with the fish and beamed up at her Lord.

Kagome covered her mouth against an escaping giggle. Her eyes went wide as Sesshoumaru turned his head and looked straight through her leafy cover and into her eyes. Kagome dived into the brush with her heart pounding a frantic beat in her chest.


	9. Puddles

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for firsttweak's Rain Theme.  
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Kagome squeaked and jumped backwards as a bloated raindrop rolled off the corner of the roof and landed near her foot. Inuyasha gave a snort of a laugh, and Kagome turned her stern gaze upon him.

"Relax Kagome, it's only a little water," Inuyasha said. Somewhere in the distance thunder boomed.

"A little water? It's like a monsoon out there!" Kagome yelled. It had been raining for hours on end, and the constant downpour had left the uneven ground in front of their hut pockmarked with deep puddles.

"Keh, is not," Inuyasha said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

A crooked smile overtook Kagome's face. Inuyasha didn't notice, and he was unsuspecting as she took a step backward and placed a hand to his back. She massaged up and down his spine, and just when his ears had folded back against his head in pleasure, she gave him a hard shove and sent him tumbling face-first into a puddle.

"Hey! Wench, what was that for?" Inuyasha yelled, sitting himself up.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha? I thought it was just a little rain," Kagome said smartly as Inuyasha crossed his arms, shooting her a poisonous glance.

Kagome clutched her sides in laughter, and Inuyasha seized his opportunity. He swung his foot out and caught Kagome in the ankles. He caught her as she fell, positioning her to sit in his lap. Kagome's eyes held a mixture of surprise and complete outrage.

"Inuyasha! Now look at me, I'm completely soaked!" she yelled.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, Kagome," he said, and placed his hand atop of her head. He howled with laughter as raindrops rolled off his claws and down her face.


	10. On the Mountainside

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iyissekiwa's Revenge Theme.  
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He tasted fear in his enemy's blood. Was the Dog afraid for his own life, or for the lives of his human mate and unborn hanyou? Once he had respected his enemy, but that was lost when he learned of the human hime. The Dog was a soft-hearted fool.

The battle raged but the Dog was distracted, screaming the name of his human bitch as he fought. He thought catching the Dog's leg in his teeth would decide the battle. With a limb lost the Dog would bleed to death as they fought on.

Before he could bite down, there was a piercing pressure in his abdomen. His jaw went slack as he saw the Dog's claw cutting into his tough scales, forcing him back into the mountainside. The bastard was sealing him away. He watched as the Dog broke off his claw and retreated into the distance, leaving a massive trail of blood behind him. Perhaps the Dog hadn't won this fight after all. The Dragon Lord laughed to himself.

Ryuukotsusei's senses slowly left him. He would find a way to beak his seal and have his revenge somehow. And if the Dog was dead by the time he was freed, he would still have vengeance. Perhaps on the hanyou son the Dog Lord seemed so worried about…

The mountain shook with his laughter until his mind slipped away and he was no more than a fixture in the rock.


	11. Poison Flower

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #45, Green.  
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To those that knew him, green was the color of death.

It radiated from ivory claws in a deadly fog, and leaped upon prey with its master's swiftness. It raced through the body and tightened the throat with sickeningly sweet scents. It bled the nose and watered the eyes, claiming territory in every pore and every vein until it conquered the enemy. It weakened the knees and fell opponents with the slightest exposure. It never failed to kill, but it was never merciless. Numbness always trailed in its wake, and even where it brought forth blood, it left no pain.


	12. Surprise

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iy_themes' Plan Theme.  
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"Inuyasha, you're late! Did you forget our plan?" Souta asked, taking the hanyou by the hand and pulling him inside.

"I didn't forget!" Inuyasha yelled.

Souta led Inuyasha through the living room and into the kitchen, where Inuyasha's nose twitched with the smell of cooking food. Mrs. Higurashi was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of noodles. An array of different vegetables were cooking in a separate pan, and on the counter beneath a glass cover was a very large cake. Kagome's grandpa was slowly setting the table.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you're here. I'm glad you could make it," Mrs. Higurashi said sweetly, moving to stir the vegetables.

Before Inuyasha could respond, his arms were filled with folds of colored paper.

"Help me put that up over here," Souta said, dragging a chair over to the far wall.

Inuyasha and Souta worked quickly to complete their task, and then moved to help Mrs. Higurashi to finish preparing dinner. Just as they were finishing up, they heard the noisy squeaks of the front door opening. Souta pulled Inuyasha down behind the table, where they laid in hiding with Souta's grandpa. Mrs. Higurashi went to the doorway and called out into the front hall.

"Oh Kagome, you're home! Would you come in the kitchen for a second?" she called.

"Coming, mom," came Kagome's voice.

Mrs. Higurashi shut the kitchen lights and crouched down next to Inuyasha. They tried to remain quiet as the sound of Kagome's soft treads grew closer and closer.

"Where is everybody?" Kagome asked the dark kitchen. She flipped on the light switch and was startled by Inuyasha and her family popping out from their hiding places.

"Surprise!" they shouted.

"Wha-?" Kagome asked, then caught sight of the banner hanging behind them. It read 'Happy Birthday Kagome' in bright yellow letters. Kagome had been so preoccupied with midterm exams that she had forgotten about her own birthday. "You guys!"

She ran over and pulled her grandpa into a hug. She hugged Souta and her mother, and finally Inuyasha, who she also gave a kiss on the cheek. He blushed, and the red in his face grew angry when Kagome reached up and tweaked his left ear.

"Hey!" he objected.

"Tweaks for my birthday!" Kagome said and playfully flicked his other ear.

Kagome's family laughed as she chased Inuyasha around the kitchen, and in the end, even Inuyasha was smiling.

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	13. Journey to Nowhere

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iy_wiltedrose's Friendship Theme.  
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**He walks through the mist with darkness on every side of him. He has been wandering for what seems like an eternity, and yet he has not met another soul in the dark abyss to which he has been exiled. Once he had sought strength, the power to overcome and command all others around him. Now he has no one but himself. It was a righteous punishment if there ever was one, and he couldn't help but laugh to himself.

He comes to a halt when he sees a human form emerge from the white shroud of mist. He recognizes her immediately, for hers was a face he could never forget. When he was only human she had cared for him. She had fed him and tended to his wounds, treated him kindly when all others had damned him to his fate. She had been his friend those many years ago. It was a friendship that had ended in fire and blood, and even the grave could not keep her from trying to get her revenge on him.

She still carried her bow and arrow, though they were useless to her now. They could not kill him, for he was already dead and so was she.

"Kikyou…" he spoke her name softly.

Her eyes narrowed, and even now he could only think of how exceptional her beauty was. His smile was not returned. "Naraku…" she said.

He goes to stand so very close to her, and breathes in her scent. There is no trace of grave soil in her now. Death has cleansed her of her unnatural previous life and given her back her proper scent and form. He takes her hand and she is warm to the touch, more alive in death than she had been in her second life.

His dark eyes capture and hold hers, and though no words pass between them, they realize what the other is thinking. It is no coincidence that in death they should find each other, and even should they wander in this darkness for all of time, they will never find any others but themselves. For them it is either reconciliation or eternal loneliness, and both are sure of the path they will choose.

She returns his smile and falls in step beside him as he continues on his journey to nowhere.


	14. Dinner With Demons

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Oneshot #23, Stubborn.  
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"I'm going to ask him," Kagome said resolutely.

"No way, Kagome. This idea reeks of trouble," her hanyou husband replied, his eyes narrowing considerably.

"Come on, Inuyasha. It's about time we stopped acting like strangers," she said.

Kagome started in the direction of Kaede's garden. Before she could get more than a few steps, Inuyasha effectively blockaded her path. Each time she tried to step around him, he repositioned himself in front of her. Kagome's hands balled into fists at her sides, and she eyed her husband dangerously.

"Move, Inuyasha," she hissed.

"I'm not moving anywhere. This is a terrible idea."

"I'm warning you…One…Two…"

"I'm not moving."

"Three…"

Inuyasha briefly considered moving out of her way to save himself pain. In the end Kagome's mouth proved much faster than Inuyasha's good sense.

"SIT!"

Inuyasha hit the ground with a heavy thud. Kagome's foot came down heavily on his back as she walked past him and into the garden. Inuyasha lifted his head out of the earth and spit out a mouthful of dirt. He gave a growl as he watched Kagome approach the looming presence lingering among Kaede's herbs.

"Stubborn woman…" Inuyasha muttered, spitting out one last piece of grass.

The taiyoukai watched as his young charge weeded the old miko's garden. As she worked, Rin informed him of all the trivial things the old miko had been teaching her. While he kept one ear on Rin's excited chatter, he kept the other trained on his half-brother and his wife. Though they had not mentioned him by name, he was certain that they had been arguing over him. He smirked inwardly as Inuyasha was slammed into the ground, but his expression soured as the young miko entered the garden. It wasn't until she stood before him and gave a little bow that Rin quieted.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and I were talking--" she began, and blushed a little as he raised an eyebrow at her. She cleared her throat and continued. "And we were would like it of you would join us and our friends for dinner."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow climbed further into the line of his hair, and Kagome's shoulders slumped. Just when she thought she would have to do some serious persuading, Rin heaved a sigh.

"What troubles you, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Rin plucked a scraggly weed from the earth with a little more force than was necessary. Small clumps of dirt splattered across her kimono and over Sesshoumaru's boots. "Rin will be helping Lady Kaede, Lady Sango and Lady Kagome with cooking…"

Rin trailed off into silence, but she needn't say anything else to get her point across. Kagome's expression turned smug in triumph. When it came to Sesshoumaru, there was no better persuasion than Rin.

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Kagome took a break from helping with the night's meal to check up on the boys, and she was quite disappointed with what she found. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were standing face-to-face, and judging by Inuyasha's defensive posture, his fist waving in his brother's stoic face, their conversation wasn't of a friendly nature. Miroku sat under a nearby tree with Shippo on his shoulder, obviously trying to play the role of mediator between the two brothers. Grumbling under her breath, she stomped over and planted herself squarely between them.

"Kagome, what're you doing?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I've had enough of this nonsense," she said. Over the years Kagome had watched as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's physical fights turned into wars of words, many of which were no less violent than battles fought with their swords. She had been hoping that their behavior would improve further over time, but she was simply tired of waiting.

"Miko, remove yourself from our argument," Sesshoumaru said coldly. Kagome ignored him for the time being.

"Yeah, this is between me and the bastard!" said Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, sit!" she said, and Miroku and Shippo made identical pained noises as their friend created a defined imprint in the ground.

"And you," Kagome said, wheeling around and poking the taiyoukai in the chest, "Should know better. I'd never thought you'd be one to fight pointless battles, Sesshoumaru, and this battle you've got going on with your brother is about the most pointless thing I've ever seen. You're the older one, so _you _should be the wiser one-"

"Hey!" Inuyasha objected, and Kagome growled. Inuyasha abruptly laid his head back in the crater it had made.

Kagome gave Sesshoumaru one last, hard poke. "Stop being stubborn and have the good sense to _knock it off already_."

Sesshoumaru's visage remained unfazed, but Kagome thought he was probably contemplating separating her from her prodding finger. Kagome kept and held his gaze, giving a little gulp as his eyes narrowed. His silence was beginning to frighten her, but to Kagome's relief their standoff was interrupted.

"Lady Kagome!" Rin said, running into their midst, "Lady Kaede said it's time to eat."

"Okay Rin, we'll be right there," Kagome said, and jumped a little when she felt something brush against her leg.

She looked down to find Sesshoumaru's mokomoko creeping past her. The fluffy end of it came to dangle over Inuyasha's head, and the hanyou looked at it with distaste. Kagome scowled at him, and with a sigh, Inuyasha grabbed his brother's pelt and used it to help himself out of the ground. The length of fur quickly returned to its master's side, and Sesshoumaru was striding back to Kaede's hut with Rin beside him. Kagome almost couldn't believe what she had just seen.

"Hey, wait up ya jerk!" Inuyasha yelled, running after his brother.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. At least one of the brothers wasn't completely adverse to change.


	15. In Rare Form

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #46, Break.  
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Once upon a time he had tried to kill them. Tried to kill _her_. They had been his enemies, and yet they were now his allies. He had looked into his brother's eyes and put his honor on the line. He had given them what he had provided to no others before. He gave them his allegiance, a promise to keep them under his watchful eye. While they were in the West no harm would befall them, and they would work together to fight the dark hanyou Naraku. He had never been one to share the glory of the kill, but Naraku had proved to be quite the formidable opponent.

He had honored his promise and come to them in their time of need. He watched as they fell away one by one until none but himself were left to fight. But it was the sight of the young miko being thrown to the ground that stirred something deep inside of him. He had been fascinated by her when she pulled the sword from his father's tomb. She showed no fear towards him, had spoken her mind to him with a fierce directness. She was tenacious, and though she was quite unrefined in her power, he could not deny her strength. In a way he respected her, even more so than his own brother.

It had been his brother's face he had looked into, but it was for the miko's sake that he promised his aid.

He could feel the hold on his form breaking, a barrier in his mind shattering and letting loose the slumbering dog within. In his father's tomb he had lost control over his shape in anger at the young miko, and now his hold had been broken in order to protect her and all of the ones she held dear.

His body twisted and stretched in an aura of blazing red light, shedding the human guise and letting the animal surface in its place. There was a slight pressure on his front leg, and he looked down to see the tiny miko leaning against his massive toenail, holding her bow and quiver. It had been with the miko's encouragement that Inuyasha had severed his other leg, but the memory was distant now. It was only his silence that prevented her from knowing she was forgiven.

Together they faced Naraku's spawn and cemented their new alliance.


	16. Modern Youkai

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iyissekiwa's Shock theme.  
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It was impossible. There were no youkai in modern Tokyo, and yet a powerful youki was swirling around her, around all the unsuspecting people lining the crowded streets. It was the first time in the two years since the well closed to the Sengoku Jidai that her fingers tingled with miko power.

Kagome ran down the congested sidewalk, shoving other pedestrians out of her way. She dashed across the street and caused a mess of screeching brakes, honking horns and yelled profanities. The youki grew stronger as she neared Shinjuku Gyoen Park, and before she knew it she was running down the walking trail with her eyes darting from side to side in search of youkai.

She came a halt at the sight of a figure sitting on one of the benches. There was no doubt that the person sitting there, their features concealed by a red and white hoodie, was youkai. The youki was so strong that Kagome knew there was only one person it could be. Only one youkai was strong enough to come out of the Sengoku Jidai alive.

Kagome approached the youkai and was greeted by a feminine laugh. Her eyes went wide in shock that she had been wrong. The powerful youkai wasn't Inuyasha's brother at all. The youkai turned to face her, and Kagome was taken aback by her glowing red eyes.

"Kagura?" Kagome gasped, "But you…you died!"

"The wind never really dies down, girl," the wind witch smirked, "It's always blowing around somewhere."


	17. Blood on Blood

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #47, Mingle.  
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He was knocking at death's door, but the woman laying beside him had already stepped into the afterlife.

Blood snaked its way out from beneath her body, winding its way down to mingle with the blood pooling around his injured leg. It was human blood colliding with youkai, red running into red.

He had thought human bloodlines inferior to his youkai blood, and yet as he lay bleeding beside a human, there was no difference. Her blood ran as red and readily as his own. She fought bravely with him and met her end at his side. He clung to life by a thread.

Perhaps they had not been so different after all.

And perhaps it was her human blood that gave her such courage. Humans were born and bred to have death as their eventual fate, and perhaps that was why he saw no fear in her eyes as she slipped away. Most humans would try to cling to the world with tooth and nail, but not she.

He had tried to draw Tenseiga in pity for her, but she found the strength to shake her head and deny his aid. It was her time, and she accepted it.


	18. The Rusted Blade

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iy_blind's Blade Theme.  
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Until she saw that rusted one laying on the ground, she hadn't realized how all around her they were. Inuyasha had one that could fell a hundred demons. Her Lord had possessed quite a number of them over the years, including one that was inheritably evil and another that had once saved her life. Even her husband had a few of them in his lifetime. As a child he had carried a curved one that he had once tried to kill her with, and now as an adult he carried one that Totosai had specially crafted for him.

Rin laid down the buckets of water she had fetched from the stream. The rusty blade that caught her eye was sticking out from the fronds of a leafy plant. Getting to her knees, she fished the katana out from its resting place and held it in her lap. The entire length of the blade was brown with rust, but it was still far from becoming brittle with decay. She brushed some of the dirt off the handle and found the soft wrap covering to be almost completely unraveled.

She gripped the handle in both hands and stood with the weapon held straight out in front of her. Though she had tried with him for nearly a year of her life, Rin had only seen her Lord Sesshoumaru wield a sword less than a handful of times. She had seen her taijiya husband slay a demon only once, and that had been before they were married. His movements had been swift, and his attitude sure. He had a precise technique that he had been working to perfect since he was a child. It was seeing him slay the demon that Rin had realized she loved him, and had for a long time.

Standing with the katana in her hand, she tried her best to remember the way she had seen her husband and Lord fight. She brought the katana over her right shoulder and down in a diagonal slice. The tip of the blade stuck in the soft earth, and Rin carefully wiggled it out with a displeased grimace. She danced clumsily with the blade, mangling the underbrush and scarring the trees. She tried a horizontal slicing motion, but the back of the blade collided with a large boulder. The weapon recoiled at her and the rusted edge slid across her thigh, drawing her blood in a painful, jagged line. She dropped the katana and fell to her knees, pulling up her kimono to get a better look at the wound. It was jagged and ugly but not very deep, though that didn't stop it from being painful. She poured water from one of buckets upon the wound to clean it, then tore off the hem of her kimono to wrap it around the injury.

She winced in pain as she stood, picking up the two buckets and making her way home. She favored her injured leg, and her clumsy gait sloshed a trail of water behind her. By the time her hut came into view, both buckets were only half full. She could see her husband sitting out in front of their hut with his armor in his lap and a rag in his hand. A small neko youkai was curled up around his feet, taking a nap.

Her husband looked up from his polishing as he heard her approaching. He let his armor fall into the dust and ran to her. In a moment the buckets were gone from her hands and her arms were around his neck. She held fast to him as he led her home. He placed the buckets down near Kirara, who had woken up and was now staring at Rin with worried eyes.

Kohaku gathered Rin into his lap as he sat down. "What happened, Rin?" he asked, untying her orange and yellow tourniquet.

She told him of the abandoned weapon she had found, and when she was done he laid her upon the ground and disappeared into the hut for a moment, returning with the proper items to clean and bandage her wound.

"I'm sorry for my carelessness, husband," Rin said sheepishly as Kohaku wrapped her leg.

"Don't apologize," he said, and Rin could tell there was something on his mind. His brow furrowed as he finished bandaging her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, placing her palm to his cheek and bringing his eyes up to hers.

"I could teach you, if you want," he said, and at her confused gaze he continued, "How to use a sword. It would probably be good if you knew how…" he scratched the back of his neck and looked away again.

Rin laughed and threw her arms around her husband's neck. It was amazing how graceful he was as a taijiya, and yet his words could sound so clumsy at times. "You'd do that for me?"

"Well, yeah, of course…" he said, and he was abruptly silenced by his wife's kiss.


	19. Heartless

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iyfic_contest's Toy Theme.  
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She watched as his long fingers trailed up her body. They worked their way gently up her stomach, but grew rough between her breasts. He laughed as she struggled against him, rattling her chains. He pressed a finger into the soft flesh beneath her chin, tilting her head back and baring her throat.

"I will make you suffer for your betrayal, Kagura," he laughed. "Perhaps I should have you kill the demon you would give your heart to."

Kagura growled as his tongue flicked across her ear, and her eyes blazed as he sneered at her. She had loved and plotted under his nose, but she would keep her feelings secret no longer, not when he would threaten her with Sesshoumaru's life.

"As if anyone could even hope to kill him!" she raged, "I will not be your puppet, Naraku! I am no one's toy! I have a mind of my own! I'll be damned if I use it to help you!" she yelled, and with a mighty tug, she broke the chains on her left wrist.

She swung, but he caught her fist before it could connect with his jaw. At the same time, there was a stabbing pain in her chest. Naraku tightened his grip on her hand and the pain intensified, paralyzing her. Blood ran out from his palm, and Kagura realized that her master kept her heart in that hand.

She laughed through her pain. Even though he held her heart, it could never be his.


	20. Empty Heart

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for firsttweak's Empty Theme.  
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Inuyasha peered into the dry riverbed and sighed. He had never been an overly introspective demon, but ever since Kagome had left he seemed to be losing himself in his own musings more and more often. Looking at the dried remains of river plants and the rotting corpses of a few bloated fish, he couldn't help but think about his current state.

When the water abandoned its bed, it ended all the life that had once thrived within it. With her kind heart and generous ways, Kagome had breathed life into him. She had found the key to his heart and opened it wide, revealing a treasure of emotions and happiness he had never known. She had helped him discover his true self, the real man hiding behind the angry guise. When she left, she had unknowingly taken all of those found treasures with her. Now he felt just as dry and lifeless and the riverbed.

Inuyasha jumped into the bed and crouched down. With gentle claws, he picked through the remains of his empty heart.

He overturned a fish and thought of her smile. A dried weed pulled in memories of her laugh. He flicked pebble after pebble, one for each of the many times she had made him sit, and felt more alone than he ever had in his life. He slammed his fist into the hard earth and remembered how he had jumped into the well a hundred, maybe even a thousand times over, trying with every once of his will to make it work again.

In the back of his mind he knew she would find her way back to him, but it had already been two long years and he was tired of waiting. He would wait five-hundred years if that's what it took, but how could he stand so many centuries of loneliness now that he know how joyous life could be? By then the empty spaces in his heart could be filled with a bitter, festering mix of loss and hurt.

He wouldn't, and couldn't, let himself become like that. It would be an insult to Kagome to allow himself to become so hardened and cold in her absence. She may have taken a part of him with her into the well, but he would not let himself rot from the inside out because of it. He picked up a dead fish and threw it at a nearby tree in frustration.

Water returned to the riverbed with a single fallen tear.


	21. Behind the Falls

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for Dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #48, Wall.  
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Even though Kagome loved her friends, it felt nice to go off on her own. She was glad to leave Inuyasha and Shippo's bickering, and heard the whack of Hiraikotsu hitting Miroku in the head as she snuck away. It would be a while before they noticed she was gone.

She was drawn toward the sound of rushing water. As she pushed her way through a copse of ferns, she found a gentle waterfall. Removing her socks and shoes, she waded into the water and up to the falls. She pressed her hands to the wall of water, letting it cool her flushed skin. Gazing into the white water, she saw that instead of solid rock beyond the fall, there was a dark void. A cave.

She walked through the falls and found gloom on the other side. Only a few rays of light peeked in from holes in the rock. There was a drop-off at her feet, and a pool of water below that wound off and out of sight around the bend. She tried to peek around the turn to see what might have been lurking there.

She was startled by a glint of gold in the darkness.

She slipped and fell into the pool. When she opened her eyes again she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. Standing up to his ankles in the water was Sesshoumaru, bare-chested and slowly retying his hakama. Water glistened on his skin, and his hair hung heavy with it.

Kagome felt a blush rising in her cheeks, and was suddenly very aware of how her wet uniform was sticking to her chest. She quickly crossed her arms.

"Miko," he acknowledged her, and without another word, stepped around her and through the falls.

Kagome groaned and submerged herself in the pool.


	22. Mother to Mother

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iyissekiwa's White Theme.  
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The princess' heart gave a painful leap as the mysterious figure approached her. She placed a protective hand on her swollen belly and backed away, but the woman followed.

A clawed hand reached out and the princess gasped as it fell upon her own, over the swell of her unborn child. The stranger's touch was cold, but not unkind. The princess looked up into golden eyes, looking for answers, pleading for her child's wellbeing.

The pale woman smiled, and the princess was mesmerized by her long white hair fluttering in the breeze. A pelt of pure white fur ran across her shoulders, and she knew the woman was no human. She was a dog in human guise. An inuyoukai, like her child's father.

"Who are you?" Izayoi asked in a whisper.

The woman's small laugh sent a chill down the princess' spine. "Your unborn son and my son are siblings," she said.

The demon woman's hand fell away, and Izayoi's eyes filled with tears. "I had no idea," she sputtered.

"I didn't think you would."

Izayoi saw a flash of betrayal and pain behind those stoic eyes.

"Perhaps our sons could be friends, as well as brothers," Izayoi said, her voice cracking.

"Hnn," the demon muttered, "Perhaps." And with a lingering smirk, she was gone.


	23. A Bad Aim

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for dokuga_contest's Weekly Perfection #49, Worse.  
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Their treaty with Sesshoumaru was on thin ice as it was, and she had to go and make things worse.

Why did she have to jump into the battle? Why couldn't she have just gathered the reserve to stay on the sidelines and not get herself involved? Sesshoumaru and her friends were putting up an amazing fight against Naraku's puppet, and yet she still couldn't leave well enough alone. She mentally kicked herself.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her with angry eyes. With a growl, he pulled her sacred arrow from his thigh.

She really needed to work on her aim.


	24. Betrayed

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired various contests around LJ. This one was written for iy_themes' Blood theme.  
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She walked down the stairs with a gentle grace, pulling her pelt tighter around her against the cold.

He was waiting at the bottom of the palace steps for her. She could feel his wide, imploring eyes upon her. He wanted her to react to him, to give him some sort of emotion. But she would do no such thing. She would make him squirm for a few moments more.

She stood a few steps up from him and caught his gaze, letting no emotion creep into her visage. He opened his mouth to speak, but she gave a fierce growl and he shut it again. There were no words to be said. She knew what he had done. She could smell it on him clear as day.

He smelled of passion and sex, and of the female he had claimed as his own. A human female.

She had been his mate for nearly three centuries, and even in this act of betrayal she could find no signs of regret in him.

She brought her claws across his face with a terrible swiftness, splattering the hem of her kimono in his blood. He made no attempt to stifle his moan of pain, and quickly brought his eyes back up to hers. He let the blood of his infidelity run unheeded down his face.

"And with a human, no less," she said bitterly.

"You don't understand," he said quietly, and reached out to her as she turned away from him. She shrugged out of his hold and continued back up to her palace. She was relieved, yet also a little saddened when he did not attempt to follow.

There was a swirl of power behind her and a mighty growl, and when she looked towards the sky he was disappearing into the clouds. He was The Great Dog Demon that commanded the Western Empire, and yet he could not even control the whims of his own heart.

"No, husband. It is you who does not understand," she said to his retreating form, and used her sleeve to wipe away her tears.


	25. Too Far Gone

**All the stories in this collection will be inspired by various contests on LJ. This one was written for firsttweak's Drum Theme. ****  
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He was too far gone. She yelled his name, screamed and cried out in hopes of bringing him back, but it was all in vain. His mind had fallen into the all encompassing darkness of his inner demon. There was only one thing more she could do for him now.

She drew back her bow as he ran at her, blood dripping from his mouth and claws. His snarl was ugly and cruel, his claws bared and ready to find purchase on her body. His red eyes held a lust for blood, but no recognition of the girl he had loved. He would tear her limb from limb and have no idea of what he had done.

She would have her entire life to convince herself she was doing him a great kindness.

She fired her arrow true, the arrowhead glowing a healthy pink with her power. Inuyasha was pierced clean through the chest, and Kagome was overcome with such a sense of déjà vu she couldn't help but laugh. She had first found him with an arrow through his heart, and she would leave him the same way.

He fell to his knees before her, and very slowly the crimson consuming his eyes melted away into the warm gold she loved so much. His expression softened, and he reached out to her with one bloodied hand.

"Kagome?" he said softly before he fell.

Kagome's knees betrayed her and she crumpled to the ground. She laid a hand atop his head, smoothing his hair and gently stroking his fuzzy ear one last time. In that moment, all the world seemed to fall silent in respect for the ill-fated couple. All that was left was the sound of her strangled sobs, and the hollow drumming of a broken heart.


	26. A Honorable Fool

**This one was written for iy_themes' Mind Prompt.  
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He could see in the mind of every living being, and yet it was the mind of this simple hanyou Goshinki found most interesting.

His mind was neither of demon nature, nor of human. In the mind of even the noblest of humans, there usually lurked a horrid selfishness that no man would ever speak of. Hidden behind human bravery was always a crippling cowardice that poisoned men's minds and drove them mad. In the thoughts of demons he was always sure to find a thirst for blood and power, a desire to rule and be worshipped. He could find none of that in the hanyou's mind.

Inuyasha's only desire was to protect his friends, to defeat Goshinki, and in turn Naraku. He was free of human cowardice and selfishness, and of a demon's dreams of power.

And to Goshinki, that made him both honorable and a fool.

Too bad he had no hope of survival. No matter how unique his thoughts, he could not hide them from his psychic enemy. Goshinki would bite through him with his terrible fangs and silence both the hanyou's foul mouth and his strange way of thinking.


	27. Self Improvement

**This one was written for iyfic_contest's Naraku Prompt.  
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Though he taken over the body of a handsome Lord, he was now nothing more than a mass of bubbled flesh.

He had retired to the cellar of his castle and shed the human guise. The flesh of his back tore open in a mess of tangled tentacles. Long stingers and grasping claws burst from his head, and his abdomen opened to spew out a mass of fatty, gelatinous tissue that splattered onto the floor and spread across it like a molten wave. His body stretched in all directions until he filled nearly the entire space, his mismatched parts jutting up against the walls and struggling against each other for space.

He was a fetid concoction of the youkai that made him, and it was difficult to tell where one part of him ended and the next began. Maneuvering his body in such a disorganized state was not an easy task, but fortunately little movement was required for the process he was about to undertake.

He sorted through the various demons constructing his body, analyzing their expediency and pinpointing their strengths. Methodically, he released the parts of himself he deemed useless. The youkai screamed and tried to flee as he forced them from his flesh, but with an expert flick of a tentacle they were sent to the afterlife. Just because they were of no use to him did not mean he would let them roam and do as they pleased.

Even he could not begin to contemplate just how many beings resided inside of him. And for all his strength, the worthless, weak youkai far outnumbered the integral parts of him. He would not have such pathetic youkai inhabiting his body. To keep such powerless beings within him was unbecoming and pointless, and the process of weeding them out was long past due.

The longer he stayed out of his human guise, the more his body began to writhe and scream and he heard the many separate voices that composed him. He, Naraku, was supreme ruler of his body, but the many youkai that lent him their flesh rang their voices in the back of his mind, begging for their powers to be put to use, expressing their lust for blood and pleasures of the flesh.

These youkai were cast from his body as well. He did not need fools unable to control their desires lurking within him.

They may have made him who he was, lent him their powers and flesh alike, but he would not cater to them. Even when it came to his own body he would show no mercy.


	28. Wet Wench

**All the chapters in this story are written for challenges around LJ. This was written for firsttweak's Wet theme.  
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Stupid wench. Doesn't she realize we have work to do? How are we gonna find those jewel shards when she's taking her sweet-ass time? Keh.

I hate sitting in this room with all these weird things laying around. That weird box on the desk she does her homework on, and that one on the floor with the moving pictures inside of it. I've been trying forever to work that thing, but I can't figure out what all the damn buttons do!

I can smell her in the room across the hall. There's steam coming from beneath the door and I can hear water running. I have a mind to storm in there and drag her out by the hair. How can she be so concerned about bathing at a time like this?

I wait a few more minutes. Nothing. She's been in there all damn morning.

That's it! I'm going in.

I stomp across the hall and throw open the door. I can see Kagome's silhouette behind the curtain.

A lump comes up into my throat and I swallow it down.

Long legs. Curves in all the right places. Her fingers are working through her hair.

"Kagome!" I yell, my voice cracking. Damn. "Kagome, are you almost done?!"

She doesn't say anything. She continues to work at her hair, and I guess she can't hear me over the running water. I step a little closer to her and try again. "Kagome! Are you almost done?!"

She giggles, and her dripping wet hand shoots out from behind the curtain and grabs the front of my fire-rat. She peeks out from around the curtain and I catch a glimpse of the swell of her breast. Holy Gods.

"Took you long enough," she said. "Wanna join me?"

"Eh?"

Gods, I'm one lucky bastard.


	29. The Object of His Desire

**All the chapters in this story are written for challenges around LJ. This was written for iy_themes' Bug theme.  
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Retrieving the object he desired from the clutches of the dark hanyou had been just as easy as he had anticipated. The filthy spider was crushed firmly under his blade, a worthless bug unfit of his time and skill. He had claimed his prize and simply left the hanyou to pull what was left of himself back together again.

The object of his desire pulsed in his palm, illuminating his face in its warm purple glow. It wouldn't be long before it was returned to its rightful place. Inside Naraku's foul body was no place for something so valuable.

He landed on a high cliff near the sea, where the Wind came to mull on her sorrows and vent her frustration in fierce gale.

He approached the Wind and could feel the object his hand respond, beating hard and fast. The Wind turned and rose, her eyes widening as they came to rest on the item he held. A clawed hand clutched at her empty chest. The gale howled her surprise through the night, over the cliff and past the sea where it met the crescent moon that hung in the sky.

He took her hand and pulled it away to press the luminescent heart to the front of her kimono. He watched as the glow was absorbed slowly into her body, in its rightful place at last. For a moment she closed her eyes and concentrated on the steady beat in her chest, the feeling of the freedom she had so longed for. When she opened her eyes he was still holding her hand.

"You have your heart," Sesshoumaru said. "Use it wisely."

The Wind smirked back at him.

"I will," Kagura said, and boldly tugged at the front of his kimono.

He may have given her back her heart, but it had been his to hold all along.


	30. The Mouth of Madness

**This chapter was written for a prompt Inuyashaquotes on LJ.  
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She lay in a pile of colorful leaves with her hair splayed around her head in an inky black corona. The reds and greens of the fallen leaves provided the perfect backdrop to her beauty.

Long white legs, beautiful even though they were touched by splotches of red. Her eyes were a warm brown, unseeing and glazed in their eternal stare. Her mouth hung upon slightly, her once rosy lips now pale and chapped.

Her kimono was torn open at the middle along with the delicate flesh beneath, staining some of the leaves beneath her a deep shade of crimson.

She was beautiful, but he had killed her anyway.

At first she had stood her ground. She had shouted his name over and over, a name he could no longer remember, and tried to draw him out from the mouth of his madness. As he descended upon her she had run deep into the forest, calling him by that name he no longer knew. It was an incomparable thrill to chase her, playing a game of cat and mouse. He kept a distance between them so to deliberately prolong her terror, and it wasn't until she began to grow tired and slow her pace that he struck, driving his claws deep into her back. There was a strange grace in her fall.

He flipped her over and listened as she begged him to come back to her. Whatever that meant. She looked familiar, but he had no name for her. She even had the audacity to say that she loved him.

He didn't want love. All he knew was his thirst for blood, and she would be the one to satisfy. As he rose up his claws to strike the final blow, she weakly reached up to him.

"Inuyasha, please…" she moaned, and he paused a moment.

She began to cry, her tears laced with blood, and he remembered.

Kagome, his lover, his wife. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her he loved her. He wanted to run to get her help and pray that she lived. He wanted to damn and curse himself for what he had done. But his body would not obey him.

Claws dug into her middle. He was screaming inside his head, but his body quivered with pleasure and the joy of the kill. She screamed an convulsed, and he watched as the life violently drained from her body. The light slowly left her eyes, and though on the inside he cried for her, his hands were pressing against her bloodied abdomen and loving the feel of warm blood against his skin, of the serpentine organs beneath…

It was then that earth began to quake, his entire body rattling. There was screaming again, and at first he couldn't tell who it was coming from. The bloody scene before him faded away into blackness. He was confused for a moment before he realized that his eyes were closed. Another voice rose from the darkness, muffled at first but slowly becoming clear.

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha…"

It was her voice. But how? Wasn't she dead? He had to get out of this blackness.

With a frustrated growl, he ripped open his eyes. He was greeted by her gaze, still so full of warmth of light. He sat up quickly and took her roughly by the forearms, looking her up and down. There wasn't a speck of blood on her. He placed a hand on her middle and she was perfectly whole.

He looked around, expecting to find the depths of the dark forest surrounding them. Instead he found the bright firelight of their room. He gave a sigh and lowered his head. The frantic pounding of his heart was starting to become painful.

"You were screaming in your sleep," Kagome said, and he could feel her hands working through his hair. "Bad dream?"

A bad dream was a gross understatement. It was the worst nightmare he ever had.

"Kagome…" he nearly cried. He took her in his arms and crushed her to his chest, burying his face in the hollow of her neck.

He ran his hands through her hair, across her back, over her hips and down her long legs, all to make sure that she was really there. He pulled away slightly to look into her lovely face. He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her cheek. She took his hand and smiled.

He kissed her deeply, passionately, and pulled her down on top of him as he lay down.

Kagome sighed and snuggled into him, idly tracing a line down his chest with her finger. Flashes of his claws digging into her ran through his mind, and he shuddered.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked, looking at him with concern.

He didn't look at her. Couldn't.

"Kagome, you know I'd never want to hurt you, right?" he asked, and Kagome watched his fingers curl into a shivering fist. She unfurled his unsteady hand and held it tight.

"You would never hurt me," she said. The look in his eyes wrenched her heart. "I love you Inuyasha."

She was glad to see him smile. He rolled over on his side and took her in his arms. "I love you, Kagome."

Kagome held him tight, running gentle fingers down his back. She slowly sent him into a dreamless slumber, and was soon asleep beside him.


	31. My Brother And I

**This chapter was written for iyissekiwa's Fickle prompt.  
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You, my master, have been dead for many a long year. Still, I wait with you. I wait for the day my seal will be broken and I may leave this cavern of bones.

From the first moment you held me, you made my destiny clear. After you were gone was when my journey would truly begin, you said. When the time comes, I will rise to your expectations.

I will wait for the second inheritor of your blood to claim me. All of my power shall be his, and I will never be fickle in my loyalties. I will protect him, seal his blood to make certain he never falls into the darkness of his own mind.

And I will meet my brother again.

My brother's master does not realize his power. He would rather have me at his side, and I can only laugh at the idea. As if he could hope to tame me! My power is not his to control. You saw to that when you made me, my master.

My brother and I were birthed together, we fought together. We are twins, and yet we are opposites. While I would kill, he would save.

We are death and life, destruction and salvation. The Fang of Heaven and the Steel-Cleaving Fang. He Tenseiga, and I Tetsusaiga. There cannot be one without the other.

Together, my brother and I will make certain neither of your sons overcomes the other.

Such was your wish, and so it is our duty.


	32. The Fire In His eyes

**This chapter was written for iy_wiltedrose's Fire prompt.  
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He was once a woeful sight, a marauding thief who paid for his sins in fire.

Onigumo could barely move and could speak only softly, but Kikyou could see that the fire which consumed his body burned brightly in his eyes. She could feel those eyes wandering over her as she cared for him. Even her younger sister could sense the impure things that were on his mind.

She had forgiven him for any impure thoughts or desires that he may have held for her. He was a doomed man, and had nothing much to live for. She could not help but feel pity for him.

She did not know then how deeply his desire ran, how hot his fire burned for her. She did not know what it would lead him to become until now.

She was finally face to face with the demon who had killed her, the dark hanyou, the youkai with a human heart. There was no pity left in her. Only anger and hatred for this deplorable soul.

The shadow of Onigumo was in Naraku's cold stare, and the fire raged there still.


	33. Sorry

**This chapter was written for a prompt inuyashaquotes.  
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_I hate you, Inuyasha! _

It was those ugly words that their argument had ended on. As soon as they left her mouth she wanted to reel them in and take them back, but she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to swallow her pride and say she was sorry, even with the hurt so clearly stamped across his face. The way his eyes went wide and his ears fell flat against his head…

She couldn't look at him. She clapped her hand to her mouth and turned away. He approached her, but before he could reach her she had jumped through the well and left him standing dumbfounded on the other side.

That had been four days ago.

For four days she had sat through lectures with her mind constantly wandering. For four days she waited for him to come and take her back through the well, just like he always did.

She knew now that it would be different this time. It had to be, after the how deeply she had hurt him. Hate was a strong word, and it should have never left her lips. She could never hate him. Not after all he had done for her. Not while, deep down in her heart, her bones, her very soul, she felt this way about him…

Kagome stood up quickly, her chair toppling over with a loud clatter. She barely noticed that every eye in the room was upon her. She didn't think, she didn't even take any of her schoolbooks with her. She didn't hear the teacher calling her name.

She just started running.

She ran through the hallways and down the stairs, nearly colliding with a few students on the way. She would run all the way home, every red light in the crosswalks be damned. She was going through the well and finding him. She was going to throw herself into his arms and maybe they could put it all behind them…

She got no further than the front of the school.

He was standing there, leaning up against the bicycle rack with his hands tucked into his sleeves. They stood looking at each other for a moment, neither of them saying a word. Kagome tried to read his expression, but his gaze was inscrutable. She approached him slowly, tentatively, and his quiet reserve began to fail him. His face relaxed, his arms falling limp at his sides.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly.

"Kagome," he said, and she couldn't hold herself back anymore. She threw her arms around his neck and held him tight. She buried her face in his collar as his arms limply surrounded her.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, her voice muffled slightly. "I don't hate you."

"Keh," he spat. "I know that."

But she had seen the hurt in his eyes. She knew what he said wasn't the truth, or at least it hadn't been at first. Kagome unraveled herself from him and looked in his eyes. She tried her best not to cry, but failed. She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"You're not angry?" she asked.

"No," he said, his tone resolute. His eyes then fell away from her. "Are you?" he asked tentatively.

"No," Kagome smiled. She hugged him again. His arms wrapped more firmly around her waist. She would have stayed like that, secure in his arms, until the end of time itself, but he began to fidget in her arms and his voice called her out of her reverie.

"Uh, Kagome?" he asked. His voice sounded oddly subdued.

"What?"

"Why are there so many people looking at us?"

Kagome went stiff in his grasp. She was suddenly terrified to turn around. In her joy at seeing him, she had forgotten that she was indeed still in front of her school. Slowly working her way out of his arms, Kagome turned and found all of her classmates hanging out of a number of second story windows. Some were pointing at her, others were making faces at them, and even more were having a good laugh at her expense.

"Eek!"

Kagome turned and buried her face in Inuyasha's suikan, her cheeks slowly turning an equal shade of red.


	34. Winds of Change

**This chapter was written for the Wind prompt at firsttweak.  
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Inuyasha sat on the roof and looked into Tokyo's heart. With the city skyline stretched out before him, he realized just how thoroughly the winds of change had blown through Edo.

In the few months they had been married, he and Kagome had spent most of their time in the Feudal Era. Perhaps it would be nice to stay in the Modern Era just a little bit longer. The bustling city was always changing, and there was so much of it he hadn't seen.

Kagome had learned to make herself at home in his time, and he wanted to properly acquaint himself with her world.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as the back door slid open and the voices of Kagome's family drifted up to him. He peered down to find Kagome standing in the doorway.

"Inuyasha! We're done cooking dinner! You can come eat now," she called.

In one fluid movement, Inuyasha jumped from the roof, gathered Kagome into his arms, and leaped back atop the house. He sat with her in his lap, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She peered out across the city and smiled.

"It's really pretty up here," she said.

Inuyasha smirked and cupped her chin, drawing her lips to his.

"Very pretty," he purred, and kissed her.

She laid her head on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair. His claws grazed gently across her neck, making her sigh and smile.

Her soft sighs, her delicate floral scent, the wonderful way she seemed to fit perfectly into his embrace. He was glad there were at least some things that did not ride the winds of change.

The world around them could change all it wanted, but he knew that the way they felt about each other would remain constant.


	35. Naraku's Bane

**Written for iyfic_contest's Supporting Characters theme. **

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He stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest and a thoughtful scowl on his face. Moonlight filtered into his room, casting the woman who lay supine there in an eerie bluish glow.

Kikyou was fragile, yet fierce. She was severely weakened, and a single touch of his miasma would bring her to her death. He went and kneeled beside her, gently brushing the hair away from her face. Her skin was as cold as the grave, and no breath escaped her lips. No heart beat in her hollow chest. This world should not have been hers to roam. Her time in this world had ended nearly fifty years ago. She had no right to be meddling in his affairs, trying to purify him along with the Jewel. What a foolish plan.

He traced a finger across her white throat. She was finally in his grasp, vulnerable, ripe for the killing. His hand fell away from her, leaving not so much as a scratch behind. She was the bane of his existence. One swift blow and he would be rid of her, yet he could not bring himself to do it.

She had no business making him feel so strange.

As he looked upon her, there was an aching in his chest, an unpleasant swirling in his head. She brought forth many emotions that were foreign to him. He felt sympathy, compassion, and something decidedly deeper, something he tried his best to suppress. Such feelings, such lust, was weakness. He did not want to feel this way.

Naraku clutched at his chest and concentrated on the beat of his own heart, his human heart.

It was the remnant of that bastard thief Onigumo, and all of Naraku's attempts to rid himself of it had failed. Onigumo had sold his body for power, but he had not died that day fifty years ago. His heart was still there, beating inside of the dark hanyou, making him want to claim Kikyou for himself. Making him sympathize with her plight, making him feel love for her.

Making it impossible to kill her.


	36. Wardrobe Malfunction

**This chapter was written for firsttweak's shop theme. Watch out for silliness here, lol. XD  
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Kagome had originally planned to spend the day alone, casually shopping for some new winter clothes. She had successfully picked out a single scarf when Eri, Ayumi and Yuka found her and began assisting her in completing her wardrobe. After a few moments of feeling annoyed, Kagome began to enjoy her friends' company. All the clothes they were picking out for her seemed to fit perfectly, and by the time they were done Kagome had bought everything she had set out to get, and more.

The trouble only started when Inuyasha came looking for her.

Taking a look at Inuyasha's fire-rat, Kagome's friends decided Inuyasha also needed some new clothes. Amidst a cloud of his cursing, the three girls shoved the protesting hanyou into the dressing room with a few pairs of jeans to try on. They then proceeded to drag Kagome into the men's section and pile various garments into her arms.

"Oooh, these are nice!" Yuka said, and threw another three sweaters on top of the pile.

"And this!" Eri said, and added a T-shirt to the mess.

"Oh, and these!" Ayumi yelled, and soon there was a box of shoes tottering on top of the mountain of clothes in Kagome's arms. She could barely see her three friends over the things they were picking out.

With Ayumi guiding her, Kagome made her way back to the dressing rooms and dropped the clothes outside Inuyasha's stall. She knocked on the door.

"Inuyasha, you okay in there?" she asked.

There was a loud grunt and more cursing.

"Kagome, this weird _hakama _is squishing my ba--"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled before he could finish. Yuka, Eri and Ayumi clapped their hands over their mouths and tried to keep from laughing. "They're called jeans, and don't you dare finish that sentence. Take them off, I'll give you a bigger size."

As Kagome tore apart the pile of clothes for a looser fit, Inuyasha flung the rejected pair over the door and onto Kagome's head. Kagome growled and flung the new pair over the door at him, along with a red sweater and the box of shoes.

"Ow!" he yelled, and there was a crash as the shoebox came down first on his head, then exploded open on the floor. The noises that came from inside the stall as he tried to figure out how to get into the clothes sounded equally pained.

"Dammit woman, how do you get into this _kosode_?!" he yelled.

"Just get your head through the big hole, and your arms into the others," Kagome said.

"Why don't you go in there and help him?" Yuka said, and Eri and Ayumi burst into laugher. Kagome felt herself blushing.

After another few moments of struggling noises, Inuyasha stepped out from the dressing room and drew gasps and giggles from Kagome's friends.

He had managed to properly put on his shoes, though the laces were untied. He had managed to correctly put on his sweater, and there was even a scarf around his neck, but his pants were another story.

"How do people wear these things?" he asked irritably, pulling at his waistband.

He had put the jeans on backwards, the two big pockets running across his front instead of his back. Kagome gasped as he moved to show her his back. Kagome caught a glimpse of his _fundoshi_-clad butt peeking out from the open zipper and sprang into action.

Thinking she would just about die from embarrassment, Kagome shoved him back into the dressing room and closed the door.


	37. Sunshine and Snow

**This chapter was written for iyfic_contest's Ray of Sunshine theme.  
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Inuyasha stood with his bare feet deep in the snow, watching as his friends and their three children enjoyed the first snowfall of the season. Snowballs flew through the air as the children teamed up against their parents.

There had been a time in his life where watching Miroku and Sango's children, his twin nieces and their little brother, was the only small ray of sunshine in his otherwise dull life. Watching their family grow, he knew there was hope for the future. He had watched and waited. Years had passed, but he never despaired. He never doubted that there was a red thread that bound their fates together. That invisible bond would bring Kagome back to him.

There was once a time when the happiness of his friends had brought the only light into his life. But now he had so much more.

He smiled as Kagome finally emerged from the hut they shared as husband and wife. She was bundled up against the cold, but her skin was still chilly as she grabbed his hand and began towing him over toward Miroku and his family. Kagome immediately joined in on the fun, but it wasn't until a clump of snow caught Inuyasha in the shoulder that he joined in.

Inuyasha threw a snowball at Miroku in retaliation, and soon the two men declared a snow war on each other.

Inuyasha was balling up a fresh piece of snow when a flash of cold hit him in back of the head. He turned around to find Kagome giggling at him, already balling another handful of snow.

Kagome barely saw him coming. Before she knew it, he had lifted her into his arms and spun her around. The snowball fell from her hand as he kissed her, and she barely noticed the children running circles and giggling around them.


	38. Strength in Friendship

**This chapter was written for iy_themes' Light theme.  
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It was well into the dark of night when she awoke. He could hear her rise on quiet feet, and he pretended to sleep as she snuck out from the abandoned old hut they were spending the night in. He waited a few moments before setting out after her, leaving the other four of his friends to continue their sound sleep. He found her sitting on a hill not far away, beneath the light of the full moon and countless stars.

As he sat down next to her, she turned to him with a brief and weak smile. He returned the gesture and they sat in silence for awhile. He did not need to ask why she was still awake. He knew the worrisome things that were going through her mind.

She worried about her brother, whose life was the last missing piece of the Shikon no Tama. The two slayers had been through so much pain and loss, yet both Sango and Kohaku still held the will to fight. Their strength was humbling.

She also worried about Miroku. Every time he opened the kazaana he was just a step closer to his death. In moments of absolute quiet, you could hear the monk's hand hum slightly, the beginning of a roaring wind that would eventually consume him.

"You can't sleep either?" Sango asked.

"Keh," Inuyasha spat, "I'm just makin' sure you ain't doing anything stupid. What're ya doing goin' off by yourself?"

She heaved a heavy sigh, and Inuyasha's ears fell.

"I'm just worried I guess," she said, "About everybody."

Her eyes were sad and full of loss. He couldn't help but turn away.

"Me too," he said quietly.

Ever since their encounter with Magatsuhi all he dreamt about was Kagome lost in darkness, spending all of eternity battling Naraku inside the Jewel. He couldn't let that happen, just as he couldn't let his best friend be destroyed by the Kazaana and he couldn't allow Kohaku to forfeit his life.

Inuyasha was a little surprised when he felt Sango's hand creep its way into his. She sought reassurance, and in turn gave him strength. They were his friends, all of them, and he could not, would not, let them down.

Many things went unsaid between them at that moment.

_I hope we all make it out of this alive._

She squeezed his hand.

_I know everything will turn out okay. I'll make sure of it._

And he squeezed back before letting her hand slip from his.


	39. A Moonless Night

**This chapter was written for iy_themes' New theme.  
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Kaede did not know why she felt the need to check up on him. For all intents and purposes, he was dead. He could not move, he could not speak, and no villager would dare go near his forest to disturb or desecrate him. Kaede was the only visitor he would have, and she went only to look upon him.

His betrayal was the reason Kikyou was dead. She had even lost her eye in the chaos he had caused. Yet she wandered off in the night to see him just the same. Sister Kikyou had seemed so happy to know the young hanyou. He had been quite brash in the few times Kaede had met him, but she did not question her sister's judgment. If Sister Kikyou was able to see the good in Inuyasha, than Kaede was quick to accept it.

But how wrong Kikyou had been. Now she was dead, and Inuyasha would spend his days sealed to the God Tree.

Kaede approached Goshinboku with nothing to guide her but the weak light of her lantern. She lifted the lantern up with a shaky hand, slowly illuminating the tree and the youth that was sealed upon it. When her light reached his face, she nearly dropped the lantern.

The boy sealed upon the tree was no hanyou. There were no canine ears upon his head, no long silver locks to fall around his face. His hair was ebony, his ears human. There were no claws on his fingers, only blunt human nails.

The front of his suikan was wetted by a patch of blood encircling where her sister's arrow pierced him.

In horror and sadness, young Kaede ran through the moonless night and back to the village.


	40. The First Meeting

**This chapter was written forfirsttweak's Yes theme.  
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_It would be the first meeting of a fated pair...  
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The little hanyou boy's favorite time of the day was early morning, when the forest youkai retired to their hiding places, and most humans were not awake. Inuyasha learned much about the harshness of the world since his mother died. Humans hated him, and youkai saw him as food.

He sat in the bough of a tree and relaxed until he heard someone crying. He jumped from his tree and followed the sound through the forest.

Inuyasha peered down into an old well from which the sound was coming. There was a little girl sitting at the bottom, huddled in one corner and crying softly. She was wearing very strange clothing colored in pink.

The hanyou boy jumped into the well and kneeled down next to the little human girl, who looked at him with wide blue eyes.

"You fall?" he asked.

She stared at him, her crying fading into sniffles. Her eyes drifted to his ears and he grumbled. She would realize he was hanyou and scream at him, just like all the other kids did.

"Yes," she said. "Who're you?"

"Inuyasha," he said, surprised. "Need help?"

She nodded and began crying again. Inuyasha grimaced at the sound.

"Stop crying," he said, reaching out to her.

He gasped when she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him like a vice. He placed a hand at her back and was ready to leap out of the well with her, but he was blinded by a brilliant blue light. It surrounded the girl, and he could feel her weight leaving his body. When he was able to see again, she was gone.

_...And when the time came for them to meet again, neither one would remember the other._


	41. Into the Fire

**This chapter was written for firsttweak's Dream prompt.  
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She just barely caught herself before that hurtful word left her lips. She had used it many times before, but to use it now that they were married seemed infinitely heartless. They had bound themselves to each for life, and each had waited three years to return to the other. For a shout of the word "Sit" to be on the tail end of those heartbreaking years made Kagome cringe.

Forgetting their argument completely, Kagome clamped her hand over her mouth seconds before Inuyasha would have been slammed into the ground. She watched as his ears fell flat against his head. His eyes narrowed as hers filled with tears. She turned away from him and went back into the hut.

She sat in the corner with some unfinished sewing in her lap. The work busied her hands, but left her mind free to wander over what she had almost done, free to worry and wait for Inuyasha to come home to her.

The day wore on and the sun set, yet Kagome was still alone. She lit a fire and continued to wait, her needle and thread moving with increasing slowness as fatigue set in. When Inuyasha finally came home, he went about his business in uncharacteristic silence. She watched as he prepared the futon and lay down to sleep, all without a single word. Kagome remained awake for awhile longer, keeping to her corner of the room until she noticed her husband's ears twitching in his sleep.

She went to kneel beside him, and he uttered a moan. She shook him by the shoulder.

"Inuyasha?"

He didn't wake, but made that strangely pained sound again. She rocked him back on forth on his side until his eyes finally popped open. He sat up slowly, giving a few sleepy blinks and a yawn.

"Nightmares?" she asked him.

"No," he said, crossing his arms into his sleeves. She had known him long enough to know he was lying.

"What is it?" Kagome said. She forcibly took him by the shoulders and made him look at her. "Tell me."

"Argh, woman," he sighed. He turned away, obviously loathe to talk to her. "Now you're sitting me in my dreams," he said finally.

Kagome's face fell.

"Oh," she said lamely. For a few moments, nothing was said. "Inuyasha?"

"What?"

When he turned back toward her, she took his face in her hands. He relaxed at her touch, allowing her to slowly move her hands down his neck and over his shoulders. She ran her fingers over the smooth beads and sharp bones of the rosary he wore. Their eyes met as Kagome wrapped her hands around the subjugation necklace, and he bowed his head. Kagome lifted the rosary from around his neck and threw it in the fire. They laid down together and fell asleep listening to the beads and bones crackle and pop as they burned.


	42. Blue Moon

**This chapter was written for iy_themes' Blue moon prompt. Based on the song "Blue Moon" as performed by Ella Fitzgerald.  
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Blue Moon  
You saw me standing alone  
Without a dream in my heart  
Without a love of my own

Inuyasha stood out under the stars with his hands folded into his sleeves, looking up into the sky. It was a strange sight to behold, sitting high up in the heavens. A full moon so large it descended upon the horizon, a full moon with a strange bluish tint to it. He had only seen the sight once before in his long life, and that had been nearly ten years ago. Ten years ago when Naraku had met his end and he had stepped out from the mediou alone, without Kagome at his side. He hadn't slept that night. Instead he had sat alone on this very hill, tracing patterns in the pockmarked surface of the huge blue moon and trying his best not to think about lost love. It was the first night of many he would spend alone.

_Blue Moon  
You know just what I was there for  
You heard me saying a prayer for  
Someone I really could care for_

And exactly ten years later, here it was again. It was almost as if the heavenly body knew the date was quite important to him. Almost as if it knew it would mean something for him to see it again, on this very date of Naraku's death.

Inuyasha looked down as something tugged at the side of his hakama. It was not only the anniversary of Naraku's death, but also his little son's fifth birthday.

Inuyasha bent own and scooped the boy into his arms. The boy laughed and tickled his father's nose with his furry ears swiveling.

"Papa," Hideyoshi said, looking up into his father's face. "Why are you out by yourself?"

Inuyasha raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

Hideyoshi laughed. "Mama said I could stay up a little late," he smiled widely, "Since it's my birthday."

Inuyasha smiled and tousled his son's silver hair.

"Why is papa out here alone?" the boy asked again.

"Just looking at the scenery," Inuyasha said, pointing a claw at the moon. Hideyoshi's eyes followed his finger to the amazing sight hanging in the sky. "Pretty cool, huh kid?"

Inuyasha watched as Hideyoshi's amber eyes lit up. He joined his father in pointing towards the heavens.

"Pretty!"

_And then there suddenly appeared before me  
The only one my arms will hold  
I heard somebody whisper please adore me  
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold_

Inuyasha smiled as a hand fell on his shoulder, then slowly snaked it's way around his waist. Kagome leaned into him, resting her head on his forearm.

"So there you are," she said. "Hope you don't mind company."

"Baka," Inuyasha said and leaned into her, resting his head on top of hers. "Of course I don't mind."

"Mama, mama!" Hideyoshi said, waving his arms up at the sky. "Isn't it pretty?"

Kagome gave a little laugh and smiled. "Very."

Inuyasha smiled to himself. He and his little family spent the night enjoying what miracles nature had to offer for them. He and Kagome sat in the grass and talked even after Hideyoshi fell fast asleep in his father's arms. He hoped there would be many more nights such as this.

He loved his wife and his son, and knew he was lucky to have them, lucky that all three of them were happy and healthy.

_  
Blue Moon  
Now I'm no longer alone  
Without a dream in my heart  
Without a love of my own_

Such luck only could only be found once in a blue moon.


	43. Kagome, Kagome

**Written for iy_themes' Tear theme on LJ.  
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He has been lost in the darkness for so long that he has lost all sense of time and direction. He has to find her, and if he doesn't he will surely die of loneliness, of despair, in shame of in his own failure to save the one that means the most to him.

She is everything and without her the world outside this darkness, if he ever manages to find it, will be meaningless. So he calls her name.

_Kagome! Kagome!_

Again. And again. Over and over he shouts until his throat is raw and his voice is nearly dead. But even then he does not stop calling out to her. He continues running through the darkness, and will continue to search for her even if he must spend his entire life in this bleak nothingness. He will not, and cannot, leave without her.

He runs as fast as he can, though it doesn't feel like he is moving anywhere. The scenery never changes. He cannot help but begin to despair. He knows something has gone wrong. He should have heard her voice calling back to him by now. She should have been in his arms by now, and he should be by her side to give her strength to make the right wish…

"Inuyasha…" he hears his named called, but the voice speaking it is not on the same plane. It is coming from a different reality, from a dream, and it isn't her voice, though it sounds strikingly similar.

He is shaking all over, his head lolling violently from side to side, and he hears his name called again.

"Inuyasha…"

And it is then that he realizes that the voice is real. It is this darkness that is a fake. The voice beckoning to him is familiar now, and the name he has been calling starts to lose its meaning. He stands still and allows himself to be shaken until he can feel himself again, until he has a grasp on reality enough to know that his eyes are closed, and this darkness is just a dream.

He pulls his eyes open and finds himself in bright sunlight. His wife is staring back at him, her hands firmly gripping his shoulders. He looks up and realizes that he had fallen asleep under the God Tree.

He sighs. "It was a dream, just a dream," he says, and his wife is running her hands gently over his face to comfort him. "It was the Shikon Jewel. I was inside the Jewel."

She cups his face in her hands and brings his gaze up to meet hers. "Impossible. The Jewel has been gone for ten years."

"I know. I know. Still..." he shakes his head and sighs. "And I wasn't alone either. Kagome…"

"Who is Kagome?" she asks, cocking her head and giving him a strange look.

He cannot tell her, for he doesn't even know himself. He has never met anyone with that strange name before. He cannot explain the desperation he felt at losing her, someone he has never even known. Her name lingered in his mind, but he could not see the face behind it.

"I don't know…" he breathes, and rests his head on his wife's breast.

"It's all right. It was just a dream, after all," she coos and wraps her arms around him.

The woman who was once the Shikon miko runs her fingers through the ebony hair of her husband, the hanyou who wished on the Shikon Jewel to become human.

"Yeah, just a dream…" Inuyasha said, and wraps his arms around his wife, his Kikyou, and it isn't long before silent tears are falling from his eyes.

Even with her in his arms, he cannot help but feel a strange sense of loss.


	44. Spider's Web

**Written for iyfic_contest on livejournal. Originally posted on August 13th, 2010**

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The priestess' eyes opened slowly, and a grimace turned down the corners of her mouth when she saw the crisscrossing lines of spider webs surrounding her.

"So, you're awake," Kagura droned, and the priestess' eyes narrowed in her direction.

"You're one of his incarnations," she said.

"Tch," Kagura clicked her tongue. "Obviously."

The priestess' fingers twitched with the desire to lift herself up from her prone position on the floor. Her left hand inched dangerously towards a line of web, and as she moved strands of her long hair were caught by the sticky fibers.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you," Kagura said. "The webs are filled with Naraku's miasma."

The priestess stilled, and Kagura raised an eyebrow at her. Looking at this broken woman with a body of clay, Kagura couldn't quite understand why Naraku so feared, and yes, desired, her. Naraku hid his want of Kikyou in hatred, but Kagura was not naive enough to be fooled by it. Kagura stood from her place beside the wounded priestess, and was surprised when the priestess reached through the cocoon of webs to take her by the hand.

Kagura felt a flash of the priestess' holy power. She felt invaded, as if the priestess was taking a look deep into her being. Her soul, perhaps. Being what she was, Kagura still wasn't quite sure she even had a soul. How could she have a soul when she didn't even own her own heart?

But the priestess did not only pluck at Kagura's being. She opened her own soul as well, and Kagura was able to take a look inside. She saw how deep the hatred that the priestess carried for Naraku ran, and how once upon a time he had ripped Kikyou's dream of a simple life out from under her.

"It seems I am not the only one who is trapped in his web," Kikyou said.

Kagura ripped her hand away from the priestess, scowling. She turned away from Kikyou, Naraku's orders to keep watch on her be damned. They were both caught in Naraku's awful web, but there was a small difference.

Despite Naraku's desires, Kikyou's heart could never be his. Kagura's heart, and perhaps in turn her very soul, was held fast in that wicked spider's hand.

To be free from a wicked master's hand.

To be free from such a wretched hatred.

For that, it was the same. Death would be the only path to freedom. Of this, Kagura was almost certain.

Kagura departed, a wind chained to the Earth by a spider's thread. She left the priestess laying there in her own tomb of spider silk.


	45. Mortality

**Originally posted on livejournal November 28th, 2010.  
**

* * *

Once, he had gone through Hell for this child.

No more than sixty years ago, he had risked an eternity in darkness in order to save the soul of this bright-eyed girl with wrinkling skin and graying hair. He remembered it like it was yesterday, and to a youkai like himself, it might as well have been. Sixty years passed him by like the delicate wink of a maiden's eye, yet it had crashed upon her like a river flooding its banks, washing her youth away with it.

He remembered how she would run through the fields and collect flowers to bring to him. Now she could barely walk without a stick to steady herself, and traveling the smallest distance would make her struggle for breath. For the youkai son of the Western Lands, sixty years was no time at all. To his young ward, it was a lifetime.

It did not matter that he had dragged Rin's soul up from the Underworld. It did not matter that he had spent almost all of her fragile life looking after her. Despite the kindness with which she been treated, this child of his would break. This was her fate, and no youkai or kami could change it.

She closed her eyes, and he knew they would not open again.

For all humans, life was inevitably fatal.


	46. Play Ball!

"What's this game called again?" Inuyasha asked as they walked out into the yard. Souta's favorite aluminum bat was slung over his shoulder.

"Baseball," Souta said. Once they were well away from the house, Souta showed Inuyasha where to stand and then took his own place a few feet away. "I'll throw the ball and you see how for you can hit it. You remember how to hold the bat?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, taking his stance. Souta grimaced. Inuyasha was holding the bat straight out near his chest. He looked like he should have been holding a sword instead of a baseball bat. "Just throw the ball already."

Inuyasha looked so ridiculous that it took a few minutes for Souta to gather the concentration to pitch. He was trying not to laugh.

"Throw already!" Inuyasha yelled.

Souta pitched the ball as hard as he could. Inuyasha swung and Souta ducked, falling into the dirt when he heard the ball crack against the bat. He felt the wind graze over his head as the ball went past, blowing his hat right off his head. There was a crash like breaking glass, and Souta looked behind him to find the kitchen window shattered.

"Whoa," Souta said.

Suddenly the door to the house swung open and Souta's Grandpa appeared on the threshold, shaking his fist and yelling. "What do you two think you're doing?"

Inuyasha and Souta both ran out of the yard, leaving the bat and baseball cap behind them in the dirt.


End file.
